Aircraft armament



Qc&.1,1 935. J. MIRANDA ,01 V

AIRCRAFT ARMAMENT Filed Novi 2, 1934 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR AfdfM/nmvaA.

u v I ATZ'OBIVEKS v nected with the aircraft I2.

Patented Oct. 1, "1935 ED;sums

jjaoiazir 5 AIRCRAFT l Ignacio J. Miranda, New York, N.'-.,' assignor toAmerican Armament Corporation, New York, I

N.':Y.V, a corporation of New York 7 v Application November2,1934,'seriaino,b51218]; f j 5 Claims. ems-37 I The above-mentioned resistancev decreases as 15 the -gun nears the pivotal axis upon being elevated,and increases as the gunis again de pressed, and a further object is to,provide for automatically adjusting :the aforesaid balancing meansduring such elevation and depression to 20 vary-its efiect as required.

With the foregoing in view, the invention re sides in the novel subjectmatter hereinafterdescribed and claimed, description being accomplishedby reference to. the accompanying draw- 25 ings.

difierent forms of the invention and it may be considered that the gunsshown in Figs. 1, 3 and are mounted in the rear cockpit of an aircraft30 whereas in Fig. 2 the gun is primarily within a turret-carried by thenose of the fuselage, hull or the-like.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 4, I denotes a turntable by means of which the gunmount II is conto the gun proper which is mounted by means of horizontaltrunnions H- upon the mount II. Any preferred means, may be provided forturn-- ing the turntable I!) about its ,vertical axis to 4 traverse thegun l3, and any desired provision 'may be made for elevating anddepressing the gun. Parts of elevating and depressing means are shown atl5 and IS, the former being a segment meshing with a pinion .which maybe turned by the member [6,.said member l6 being a hand-wheel.

Due to the extent to which the gun barrel II projects from the verticalaxis of the turntable l0, when the gun is. disposed in any position-ex-50 cept one extending truly longitudinally of the aircraft, the windpressureagainst said barrel, unless counteracted, would seriously resistturning of the gun and turntable about the vertical axis of the latter.Therefore, .I make novel pro- 55 vision at the opposite side of theturntable axis.

In Fig;- 1,

Figs. 1, 2, 3 and4 are side elevations showingl3 has reference I forcounteracting the 1 effect, of II the aforesaid wind pressure so that'theturntable andgun may befturned with ease about said' turntable axis;l

the counteractingmeans the '5 r I fornrof a vane l8 fixedly secured to.aiisuitable part ofthe-gun mount'l I. 'Ih is vane is so. lo-

cated proportionedand shaped relat fi t0 the barrel l3 and any otherparts similarly receiving; the wind pressure, that wind pressure at 10one-side of the turntable axis. tending to resist traversing of the gunin one direction, is balanced and counteracted by the wind pressuretending to retard rotation in v the other direca portion of'thisreceiver is exposedto. wind pressure to, counteract theefiectofjsuch presv sure on the forward portion of the gun, one side wall ofsaid receiver being extended upwardly in the form of a'vane 20. a i e InFig. 4, the balancing vane 2| is slidable toward and from the turntableaxis, being mounted in appropriate guiding means 22 and 23. One-of thetrunnions His providedwith a crank'arm 24 which is pivoted at 25 to alink 26, this link being pivoted at 21 to the vane 2|. As

the gun barrel is elevated, the crank arm 24 I and link 26 move the vane2| toward the turntable axis and as the barrel is again lowered, said Icrank arm and link move said vane away from said axis. Thus, as thebarrel is elevated and Hon, thegresult being that: the gun maybe trav-15 f ersed withoutbeingretarded by wind resistance. .@.In-Fig. 3, areceiver I9 is provided for the empty shell cases ejected'from the gunl3,.and

theefiect of the wind pressure against it is correspondingly lessened,the effectiveness offthe'v vane 2| is correspondingly decreased, andvice versa, so that the wind pressure will have no retarding effect uponrotation of the gun about its vertical axis. 40 In Fig. 2, the gunbarrel l3 projects beyond a turret'28 carried by theturntable l0, andtocounteract the effect of wind pressure against the projecting portionof the gun, a balancing vane 29 is secured to said turret at the side-ofthe 'turntable axis opposite the projecting gun portion. V

In the several views, the dot and dashline A-A represents the verticalaxis about which the gun is rotatable.

, It will be seen from the foregoing that provision has been made forexpeditiously attaining the objects of the invention, but attention isinvited to the fact thatwithin the scope of said invention as claimed,numerous variations may be made.

2 Iclaimi;

1. In an aircraft armament, a rotatable 3 about'a vertical axis andhaving means-whereby it may be elevated and depressed, said gun havingaportion subjected to wind pressure at one side of said axis, abalancingvane subjected to wind pressure at the opposite side or saidvaxis, means mounting said1vane for rotation with said gun about saidaxis and for movement toward and from said axis, and means operativelyconnecting said gun and vane ior automatically moving said vane towardsaid axis as the gun is.

elevated, and away from said .axis asthegunis again depressed. a

2. In an aircraft armament, a mounted upon a v vertical axis and upon ahorizontal axis, said gun having a portion subjected'to wi 7 pressureatone side of said vertical axis, a ba -i ancing vane subjected to windpressure. at the opposite side of saidvertical axis, means'mount ingsaid'vane for rotation withsaid 'gun abbut said vertical axis and formovement'toward and from said vertical axis, a crank arm rigidly'connected with the'gun and'swin'gablei aboutsaid horizontal axis as the'gunis elevated and devpressed, said crank arms-projecting rearWardlyfrom said horizontal axis, and a link connecting said crank arm withsaid vane for moving-said E1 is again depressed. I a L In anaircraitarmamena agun nt vane towardsaid vertical axisas the "gun is elevated,and away from said vertical axisas the upon a vertical axis and uponfahorizontal axis,

, ing said vane for rotationwith said "gun-about said vertical axis andformovement toward and said, gun havinga portion subjected-to windjn'essure at {one side of said vertical axis, a balancing vane subjectedto wind pressure at the opposite-side of said vertical axis, means mountfrom vertical: axis, a crank arm rigidly connected withthe gun and:swingable about said horizontal axis as the-gun is elevated anddepressed, and a link connecting said crank arm with said vane formoving said vane toward said 5 vertical axis as the gun is elevated, andaway from; said vertical axiswasthe gun isagain' depressed."

4. In a aircr'an adm t; a mam ..;about a vertical axis and having atrunnion about 0 which it maybe: elevated and'depressed, said 'gunhaving a portion subjected towind pressure at one sidegoi said verticalaxis, a balancing vane subjected"toiwind pressure atlthe opposite sideoffsaidjvertical axis, meansimounting said vane 15 for rotation withsaidan about said vertical axis 'an'dtor movement toward and irom'saidverticalaxis, and means operatively connecting said trunnion and'saidvane for automatically mov-.

"ing 1 said vane toward said vertical axis as the go is elevated; andaway from said vertical axis as the gun is again depressed;

v 5. Inan aircraft armament, a about avertical axis and having atrunnion about "which-it may be elevated and 'depressed, said gun'gshaving a portion subjected to wind 'pressure at one-sideot saidverticalaxis, a balancingvane subjected to I wind pressure, at"theopposite side of said vertical; axis, means mounting saidvvane iorirotation with:.said gun about saidkvertical so 7 axis-and for. movementtowardandgi'rom Esaid vertical axis, a crank arm secured-to said trun--nion',1- and, a link operatively connecting said crank arm with saidvane for automatically moving said vane toward said vertical iaxis as,the

is-eleva'ted, and away irom said vertical axis .as the gunis againdepressed; W

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